Constant Vigilance! The Sequel
by Padsy'n'Prongsie
Summary: Obviously, the sequel to Constant Vigilance. Follows Nick, Kate, Sky and Sirius. Set in POA.
1. Prologue

Skylar closed her eyes and leaned back in her armchair. Tomorrow was the day she was supposed to go see Sirius in Azkaban... but it looked like it wouldn't be happening, judging by the information in the letter bearing the seal of the Ministry.

Over the last twelve years, she had somehow managed to bring her children up (with the help of the willing Remus Lupin and the generous Molly Weasley) without their father.

It hadn't been easy, answering the questions about their father, like where is he? and when is he coming back? But over time, the family had settled into a steady (yet incomplete) rhythm of living together without Sirius.

As Sky took a deep breath, she thought about how much (yet how little) had changed.

Nick, the oldest, was her adopted son,but it had become impossible for her to think of him as anything other than her own. He was aware of who his birth parents were, but considered Sky to be his mother. And even though he had not seen Sirius since he was four, he always thought of Sirius as his father, as did Kate.

Kate was his younger sister, for all intents and purposes, despite the fact that she was genetically the child of Sirius and Sky. But the love and affection the family shared (however it was displayed) was more than enough to bind them together.

Nick was now sixteen. He was in Gryffindor at Hogwarts, a brilliant student, well liked all around, and quite good looking. He was the quieter one of the two. He was a prefect for Gryffindor, and while he took his responsibilities seriously, he still had a good sense of humour. Some people compared him to Sirius Black, saying that he had had a similar character, without realising that he was Sirius' son. Their shared love of pranks was overwhelming, and Sky knew Sirius would be very proud of him if he was ever to meet him. He remained friends with the Weasley twins, Fred and George, despite the age difference. He was also close with his sister. He rarely fought with her as opposed to most brother-sister relationships, most likely because of their less than normal childhood. He was very protective of her, and she frequently went to him for advice or comfort. Along with the twins and his sister, he was friends with Oliver Wood, who he respected, and a few of the guys in his year.

Kate was now fourteen. She was also in Gryffindor, but the complete opposite of Nick. She was loud, easily excitable and very friendly. While she was popular in her year, she preferred to stick with her two best friends: Katie Bell and Leanne West. Aside from them, she was good friends with the entire Weasley clan, and, in extension, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She was also friends with was Oliver Wood, who was a seventh year (because of her brother). She loved her brother and often got into trouble with him and the twins.

They both had taken different surnames for school and were known as Nick and Kate Adams.

Thinking about her children, Sky smiled. As soon as they were both old enough, they helped her out around the house immensely, hoping they were doing enough to help with Sky's stress.

Sky had been an Auror for the past nine years and was ready to step down. The Ministry's bureaucracy bothered her too much for her to continue. Now, she was job hunting. Remus and the children were confident she'd be able to get a job soon. She knew it wouldn't be so simple: being the wife of Sirius Black wasn't exactly going to be received with a marching band and confetti.

She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do.

Remus, on the other hand, had been out of a job for years. While Sky had access to her inheritance, Sirius' and Nick's (the latter two of which she refused to touch), Remus felt like he needed a job, at least to occupy himself, if not for the money. He had recently been hired by Dumbledore as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This excited Kate and Nick very much as they loved learning from him.

Thinking back to the topic at hand, Sky sighed again.

Coping without Sirius had been difficult, especially emotionally for Sky. Even though it had been twelve years, Sky still loved him as much as she had before that tragic Hallowe'en night. And from what she could tell, the last time she'd seen him, so did he.

Once a year, Skylar was granted the permission to visit Sirius in Azkaban, where he had been wrongfully held - at least up until tonight.

Tonight was completely different. She had received a letter from the Ministry, informing her that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban not two hours ago.

Sky was thrilled that he was out, yet scared as well. Where was Sirius? What was he doing? Why had he escaped now? Why hadn't he told her?

She knew instantly that she had to do something to avoid suspicion. Her untimely resignation as an Auror would definitely lead to questions, especially as Sirius had just evaded the dementors somehow and left.

She needed another job, an excuse for why she left.

She needed to talk to Albus Dumbledore.


	2. Chapter 1

"Mum! We have to leave now if you want to meet the Weasleys' in Diagon Alley! They said they'd be there at 11." Nicholas shouted.

Skylar appeared. "I'll be ready in a few minutes." she said before disappearing again.

Nicholas sighed. Uncle Remus had once told him that his mother used to be cheerful, but he couldn't remember such a time. She had probably been cheerful before his dad had been falsely arrested.

Nick, and his sister Katharine, hadn't seen their father since they were both young children. Nick knew where he was and why, but it didn't mean that he was okay with it.

Every year since his arrest, his mother had gone to visit his dad, but this year, before her visit, Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban.

Though everyone was anxious, they couldn't tell anyone why, because Sirius Black was believed to be a notorious mass murderer, so naturally, anyone connected to him would be shunned. Only very few people knew the truth.

This was something that Nick hated, but he couldn't do anything about it.

The new school year would be starting in a few weeks, and Nick would be in sixth year. His mother had been immensely proud when he'd gotten eleven O. . And his father, well, he didn't know, not yet.

The only memory Nicholas had of his father was a blurry, distant one, of when he was around three or four years old. He had somehow managed to obtain a box of cookies, perhaps through accidental magic, but the box had fallen on its way down from the cupboard, to cover him with chocolate chips and crumbs. Hearing the noise, his father had rushed in, only to roar with laughter, and get him cleaned up before his mother saw. The memory always made him feel both warm, and sad.

Finally, Skylar came down with Kate.

"About time. If I missed anything because of you..." he trailed off.

Kate smirked. "Nick, we're going shopping for school stuff. What could you possibly miss there?"

Nick rolled his eyes and followed them out of the house.

They met with the Weasleys at Diagon Alley, and Kate winked at Ginny, the youngest.

"Where's Harry?" she asked her mischievously.

Ginny turned red, but said, "I wouldn't know."

"Good answer."

"Nicholas. It's really good to see you." Percy said solemnly to Nick.

Nick looked at the Head Boy badge on Percy's chest.

"Very good to see you too, Head Boy, sir."

Behind Percy, Fred and George grinned identically.

"Absolutely, Mr. Percy! We had no idea that you were Head Boy." Fred said

"Yeah, if we'd known, we would have saluted. I'm very sorry!" George said.

Skylar gave a small smile at their antics.

Not only was she shopping for her kid's school supplies, she also needed to pick up a few things for her first year as teacher in Hogwarts.

When she'd found out that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban, she'd felt that the best way to avoid suspicion was to seek Dumbledore's protection. Though Dumbledore did not know the truth about Sirius yet, he was still willing to help her.

She would not be teaching a normal subject, instead, she would be teaching an optional/extra subject for the higher year students- Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, focusing mainly on Legilimency and Occlumency. With her special ability to read a person's every thoughts with just a touch, this would be a reasonable subject for her to take.

Kate had also inherited this power from her mother, but hers was slightly different. She could control when she wanted to see thoughts, and even then, she could only see the thoughts that were running through the person's mind at that time. This control was inherited from her father, who was the only one able to block Sky's power.

Kate had moved toward the twins and her brother by then. "Hey, Fred, George," she said, smiling at them both.

George grinned. "Kate!"

Fred looked at Kate and smiled brightly. "Hey! I missed you this summer," he said quietly, so no one else would hear.

Kate found herself blushing slightly. "I missed you too, Fred," she whispered.

Before they could continue their conversation, a figure attacked Kate with a shriek. Once Kate got over the shock, she squealed. "Oh my gosh! Katie!"

Katie Bell was Kate's best friend. "KATE! I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!" she said, shouting loudly.

Kate smirked. "Trying to get my brother's attention, I see," she said.

Katie pouted. "I know you don't want to hear this, but... he's really cute," she said, blushing.

Nick chose that moment to walk over to the group. "Hey, Katie," he said, smiling. "I thought I heard you."

Katie blushed furiously. "Uh... you did?"

Nick winked. To him, Katie was one of his sister's best friends. He enjoyed talking to her, especially about Quidditch.

Sky coughed. "I know you're all excited to meet each other... but if you ever want to get anything done, now's probably the time to go."

Nick grinned at his mother. "Sure, mum. I think the twins, Kate, Katie and I will be going to get our school stuff... I think. Are Ron and Hermione coming too?"

Ginny, who still hadn't left, shook her head. "No, they went off together already."

This led to loud catcalls from Fred and George. Kate and Nick laughed.

Turning to Ginny, Kate asked kindly, "Would you like to come with us?" She remembered what Ginny had been through the previous year at Hogwarts, and thought she might want some company.

Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm meeting some friends here. But thanks for the offer, Kate."

Percy immediately nodded. "I'll be off, then."

"To show all of Diagon Alley who's Head Boy," Fred whispered into Kate's ear. She laughed silently.

Sky smiled at the lot. "Be safe, you lot. Stick together and don't buy things from suspicious looking street vendors."

George grinned. "Because Sirius Black's escaped?"

No one noticed how Kate, Nick and Sky stiffened.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Just be safe. Go on, now."

Ginny went in a separate direction from the other five.

"Okay, where to first?" Nick said.

They looked at each other for a moment before saying simultaneously: "Quality Quidditch Supplies."

The five teenagers lazily made their way to the store, ignoring the fact that they had a lot of school shopping to do.

Katie pulled Kate to the side. "Have you heard from Leanne?" she murmured.

Kate nodded sadly. "They're pulling her out of Hogwarts for the year."

"Why? Because of..."

"Yeah," Kate said, understanding what her friend was saying.

"Oy, Kate!" Fred's voice called.

Kate dragged Katie with her towards the twins and her brother. "Yeah?"

"Are you two staying with us tonight?" Fred asked curiously.

Kate frowned for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, mum mentioned something about that."

Upon reaching Quality Quidditch Supplies, there was utter silence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, pay your respects to..." Nick began dramatically.

"The Firebolt," Kate finished, just as dramatically.

Fred and George were beaters on the team. Katie was a chaser. Kate and Nick were both horrible at Quidditch, but were excellent fliers, oddly enough.

The rest of the day at Diagon Alley was spent purchasing the needed materials for school. Katie attempted to flirt with Nick, who enjoyed talking back to her, yet didn't seem to realize what her intentions were. This led Kate to spend more time with Fred and George, both of whom didn't mind in the least.

Towards the end of the day, Kate and Nick sneaked off together to have some brother-sister time.

Kate grinned at Nick. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

Nick smiled, but his mind was elsewhere.

Kate grabbed his hand. I hope Dad is okay...

By the time Nick realized what was happening, Kate had heard enough.

"Hey! Mum said you weren't allowed to use it on me!" he protested.

Kate rolled her eyes. "You were being all weird..."

Nick just nodded, gazing off into the distance.

To herself, Kate thought, Me too, Nick, me too.

**As/N: Probably not our best chapter... but things will pick up soon.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Hogwarts Express**

Nick and Kate stood on platform 9 ¾. It was September 13th and they would be going to Hogwarts. Skylar had wished them luck, before apparating straight to Hogwarts

They entered the Hogwarts Express and found an empty compartment. Soon, they were joined by their friends. Katie and Leanne came first, Katie smiling widely at Nick (Kate rolled her eyes here. Nick remained completely oblivious) as they heaved their trunks onto the luggage rack.

They had just sat down when Fred and George entered with Lee, laughing their heads off.

Nick shot them a curious look. Fred opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, they heard a voice outside their compartment saying, "Of course, I really doubt they're going to catch Black. Not with the kind of riffraff that works at the Ministry. Father always said..." George looked outside, then turned around, an expression of disgust on his face.

"Malfoy," he said.

Though they were not in the same year as him, Fred and George knew about him very well from their brother Ron, and so did the others, having met him some time or the other.

Kate groaned. "Just our luck that he chooses the next compartment to sit in."

Fred closed the compartment door, shutting out the sounds of Malfoy's voice, then sat down across from Kate.

"So, Katherine," Fred began.

"Yes, Frederick?" Kate asked, amused.

"Is it true," George said,

"That your mum," Fred continued.

"Will be teaching," George added,

"At Hogwarts this year?" Fred finished.

Kate winced. "How many people has she told already?"

Fred shrugged. "Just my mum. Why, Kitty Kate?"

Kate mock - glared at him. "Go suck an egg, Weasley."

She absolutely despised her nickname. Apparently, she hadn't minded when she was four, but now... Shaking her head, she grinned at Fred.

The entire compartment had relaxed into an easy state of companionship. Katie was by the window, sitting opposite from Nick. Nick, completely oblivious to Katie's attempts at flirting, was next to Lee, who was chatting animatedly with George, who sat opposite him. On George's other side was Fred, who was talking happily with Kate. On Kate's left was Leanne, who was gazing out the glass door for a glimpse of her crush (Oliver Wood).

The compartment door flew open, and a smiling girl was standing there. "Nick!" she cried happily.

Nick immediately got up and swept her into a hug. "Alicia!" he said, sounding happier than he had in a while.

Nick and Alicia Spinnet had been together for nearly half a year. Tired of Fred and George's incessant teasing about him not having a girlfriend, despite the fact that they too didn't, he had decided to ask someone out, just to shut them up. That person had been Alicia. However, after going out with her, he'd decided that he liked it, and they were both quite close now.

Alicia pulled back from the hug to peck Nick on the lips. Katie looked slightly disgruntled at this action.

"Sit with us, Ali?" Nick asked his girlfriend eagerly.

Alicia shook her head. "I can't, I promised Angie and Oliver that I'd sit with them. You could sit with us, though, if you like."

Fred straightened up at this. Kate raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, an embarrassed grin on his face.

Kate rolled her eyes again. 'Was everyone in the compartment crazy about someone?' she wondered.

Katie liked Nick, Nick liked Alicia, Leanne liked Oliver, and now Fred appeared to like Angelina.

Speaking of Fred... "Could I come too?" he asked.

"Yeah, me too?" Lee said.

Kate frowned, annoyed. While she had a wide circle of friends, both male and female, her closest friend was Fred. It may have been difficult, considering the fact that Fred had a twin, but it was how it worked. Back when her mum had been dropping her and Nick off at the Weasleys whenever she had to go out, Fred had always played with her when she wasn't allowed to do some of the things Nick was doing. And while many people thought that Fred and George were too similar to distinguish between, Kate easily could. To her, their faces were completely different. Character wise, they were mostly the same, but towards her, they acted differently.

The idea of not sitting with Fred on the train bugged Kate to no end.

"But we always sit together while going to Hogwarts. Don't we Nick?" she said.

Nick just shook his head. "Kate, maybe we should just all go there... most of us want to, anyways. It's not a big deal, right?"

Inwardly, Kate sighed. Was it? It wouldn't be that bad to sit with Alicia, Angelina and Oliver... admittedly, she didn't particularly like Alicia, and the fact that Fred was going to ditch her for Angelina did burn... but she quite liked Oliver, and wouldn't mind hanging out with him for a bit.

Kate nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Just then the train lurched and came to a stop.

Katie looked out the window, but it was too dark to see anything.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, frowning.

Suddenly, the lights in the train went out. The air became colder.

Someone screamed.

"Kate?"

"Nick?"

"Where are you?"

"In my seat!"

"Then who got up just now?"

"I did."

"Katie?"

"Yeah!"

"Oy, get off my lap!"

"Sorry! I tripped. Believe me, George, I wouldn't do it on purpose."

"Well why did you get up then?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well, seeing as you just-" George trailed off as the compartment door opened. A hooded figure in a black cloak was standing there.

It looked around, then froze, appearing to look at Kate. She shivered. The figure stepped closer, and she couldn't see the creature anymore.

_"Daddy's going away for sometime," a woman was saying, in a voice very similar to her mother's..._

_There were sounds of laughter as Katherine got up, from where the Muggle boys had pushed her. "Leave her alone!" Nick shouted as he helped her up. "Why? Going to go running to your dead daddy?" a voice sneered. The boys were hitting Nick now, pushing him away. His arm and leg were bleeding where they'd hit him..._

Kate gasped and the compartment came back into focus.

Suddenly, the cold atmosphere vanished and the compartment was full of warmth once again.

Kate was shivering, and to her surprise, she let out a large sob. Nick looked over at her worriedly. "Kate? Oh, Lumos."

Fred shakily got up from where he was to sit next to Kate. Wrapping his arms around her, he attempted to bring back some warmth.

Nick got up to do the same. "What happened?" he asked her, his big-brother instinct kicking in at once.

She simply shook her head. "Later," she croaked out.

The compartment door slammed open again. Through the dark, Kate could make out a figure standing there, shivering.

Nick pointed his wand at whoever it was.

The figure came closer and Kate could see that it was Malfoy. She felt like laughing at the expression on his face.

He looked terrified, and his mouth was slightly open in shock.

"Did...did..." he stammered. "Is it gone?"

Fred and George exchanged evil glances.

"No! It's still here!" George exclaimed.

"Right behind you!" Fred shouted.

Malfoy screamed and ran back to his own compartment.

Everyone laughed or grinned.

"Seriously though, what was that?" Leanne asked as the lights came back on.

"I don't know," Fred and George said together.

Nick and Kate exchanged a glance.

"It was a dementor," Nick said gravely, "From Azkaban."

"How do you know?" Lee asked.

"Uh... our mum told us." Kate said.

"Oh. They must be here looking for Black." Alicia said.

Kate bit her lip and looked down. If that was how they made her feel, then she wondered how her dad had survived there for so many years.

She shivered again and Nick tightened his grip on her. She could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

Just then, the compartment door opened again. Nearly everyone jumped.

The head of Remus Lupin poked in. "Is everyone alright in here?"

Kate smiled weakly. "Hello, Remus."

Nick nodded. "It looks like it... Kate had a bad reaction to it."

Remus looked concerned. "Did she pass out?"

Kate shook her head slowly. "No, but it was bloody scary."

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, they dementors force you to relive your worst memories."

Remus stepped in and held out a bar of chocolate. "Here. Eat this, you should feel better," he said, leaving.

After he'd gone, the others rounded on Nick and Kate.

"Who is he?" "Did he really just tell us to eat chocolate?" (This was from the twins, of course) "How does he know you?"

Kate sighed. "He's one of my mum's best friends from when they were in Hogwarts... he'll be teaching Defense this year."

Fred gasped in horror. "You!" he said, turning towards Nick and Kate.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We can no longer be friends," said Fred, fake sobbing.

"It's been wonderful," George continued similarly.

"But I cannot even imagine being friends with someone like you guys..." Fred trailed off.

"You're friendly with TEACHERS!" George said sadly.

Kate snorted. "My mother and my surrogate uncle. Oh, the horror."

"You know, if we were still friends, I guess I could've got these teachers on our side." Nick said, frowning.

"But it's no use now!" Kate said, trying not to laugh.

Fred and George paused and looked at each other. "They're right, that would've been useful..." George said thoughtfully.

"Never mind, we're all friends again!" Fred said happily, throwing an arm around Kate.

Kate rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

Finally, when things were all settled down, Alicia ended up staying in the compartment with the rest of them.

While the atmosphere had been bright and happy after the departure of the dementors, as the group got off the train, Kate couldn't help but feel relieved that they were far away from the life-sucking monsters.

Oh, how wrong she was.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Feast, and After**

Nick, Kate, Leanne and Katie boarded a carriage together while Fred, George and Lee came in the next one. Nick wasn't willing to leave his sister until he found out exactly what had happened. The dementors forced everyone to relive their worst memories, and everyone had been affected by it, but why had it seemed to focus on her?

Kate said nothing as the carriages trudged up the path towards Hogwarts. She had a vague suspicion why she had been affected like that, but she had to wait until she was alone with her brother.

The enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall was black and cloudy, which perfectly suited Kate's mood. She sat down next to Nick, with Katie on her other side. Leanne sat next to Katie, then stared around the hall absentmindedly.

Fred and George sat down opposite them. Ron trooped in a few minutes later looking quite gloomy.

"Oy, where are Harry and Hermione?" George asked Ron.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, McGonagall wanted something with them," he said moodily.

Kate sighed. She knew how awfully jealous Ron felt sometimes when it came to Harry. He didn't like to show it, but it probably was very difficult having to constantly live in others' shadows. First his brothers, now his best friend... But she had to admit that he did a really good job concealing his feelings most of the time. If she wasn't what she was, there was no way she would've worked it out on her own.

Just then, Professor Flitwick entered, carrying the stool with the Sorting Hat on it. It was taller than him, and Kate wondered how he could see where he was going.

He placed the stool and the hat in the front of the Hall. The doors opened and a group of First Year students entered behind Hagrid, many of them looking terrified. Kate could sympathise with them. She remembered only too clearly how she had felt on her first day.

It was an overwhelming experience, stepping inside Hogwarts for the first time, though she'd heard a lot about it from Nick, who had been a Third Year at the time. Her mother had warned her not to tell anyone about her father, or her power, and try to be as normal as possible. So Kate and Nick had listened to her (for once) and no one knew the truth about Kate and her family. When asked, they simply said that their father had been a Muggle, but was not alive anymore. It was painful to say such a thing, but better than the alternative.

As the Sorting Hat opened its mouth and began to sing, Nick leaned towards Kate and asked quietly, "What happened on the train? It seemed to affect you more than the rest of us..."

Kate bit her lip. "I saw some bad memories, like everyone else must have. It bothered me, because it reminded me again that Dad was not with us, and we don't know anything about him," she whispered back.

"Is that all? It...The Dementor seemed to almost focus on you for a few moments."

Kate hesitated. "I'm not sure, but I guess that it was probably because they're looking for Sirius, and..." she trailed off.

Nick nodded, understanding. "And you're his daughter. They could probably sense that you two have similar... DNA, or something."

Kate sighed. "I absolutely hate this."

"Hate what?" Fred asked.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I hate that you feel the need to eavesdrop on what I say."

Fred grinned. "What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?"

The Sorting ended with Yale, Chris being sorted into Hufflepuff. Professor Flitwick carried the stool and hat outside.

At that moment, Harry and Hermione entered. They sat down on either side of Ron.

"What was that all about?" he muttered to them.

Harry opened his mouth to explain, but just then Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious-"

Nick and Kate exchanged glances. They both had a pretty good idea what the 'serious' thing would be.

"-I think it's best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast." he continued.

"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

He paused, which gave Kate time to remember her unpleasant experience in the train. If those creatures were going to be at Hogwarts too, it would definitely be a problem, and it might lead to she and her brother being exposed as Sirius' children.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises- or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and to our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.

Nick glanced at Percy, who was looking very proud at the mention of 'Head Boy'. Remembering the pompous and solemn way he'd greeted him, Nick turned away to face Dumbledore, suppressing a laugh.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome a few new teachers to our ranks this year.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered applause, but Nick and Kate clapped hard. Nick saw Harry, Ron and Hermione clapping hard as well, and smiled. Though he didn't know it yet, Harry and Nick and Kate were children of Remus' best friends in school. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Harry. Their situations were similar, families torn apart because they placed their trust in the wrong person. And yet, while Nick and Kate had each other, and their mother, Harry had no one to care for him.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the applause died away,

"Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our care of magical creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Applause broke out, mostly from the Gryffindor table. Hagrid's face was red and he was staring down at his hands. But he also had a grin hidden in his tangled black beard.

"We should've known! Who else would have assigned us a biting book?" Ron shouted.

Nick grinned. He was not taking Care of Magical Creatures, but his sister and the twins were. He'd had his own personal skirmish with the Monster Book of Monsters the previous day, when Kate had been attempting to pack it without getting her hand bitten off. In the end, they'd managed to wrap Spellotape around it to prevent its 'mouth' from opening.

After the uproar settled down, Dumbledore smiled again. "Lastly, we have a new member of the staff joining us. This year, we are introducing a new optional subject. It is not a subject you will be tested on, that is to say, you will not have OWLs and NEWTs in this class. But it is a subject that I personally consider to have utmost importance. This subject is an advanced form of Defense Against the Dark Arts, for third years and up. Classes will start in two days, so those of you who are interested may contact our Advanced Defense teacher, Skylar Adams."

There was complete silence as the students took it in. Kate and Nick started clapping with their friends joining in, and soon others did too.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

After the feast, Skylar made her way to her new office, watching her kids go off to their common room. It felt strange for her to be at Hogwarts, but not in Gryffindor Tower.

As she entered her office and opened the door that led to her personal room, where she'd be sleeping, she saw that there was something on her bed. Looking outside the window, she saw the dark shape of an owl flying away.

She turned back to her bed, and saw that it was a bit of parchment. She picked it up carefully, wondering what it could be.

She opened it and gasped. On the parchment, there was a muddy paw print. The mud was still wet in a few places, implying that it had been made quite recently. It wouldn't make sense to anyone else, but she knew what it was- a message from Sirius.

"He's safe," she whispered to herself, laughing weakly as she collapsed on the bed, clutching the piece of parchment.

"He's safe, and I will get him back."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Lessons**

The next day, Skylar got many names from students who wanted to sign up to her class, the most from Gryffindor.

Her first class would be with the sixth years. Most of the people who'd signed up were from sixth or seventh year, students who wanted to become Aurors, or something of the sort.

Skylar smiled to herself, remembering when she, herself, had wanted to become an Auror. At that time, she'd had to wait until she finished school to pursue advanced studies. She was glad that she could help young students now who wanted to become Aurors.

While going to her classroom, she happened to see Harry, Ron and Hermione making their way to the North Tower. She was struck by how much Harry looked like James, except with Lily's eyes. Having not seen him since his parents were alive, it felt almost painful to see their features copied on his face. At the same time, it served to remind her how happy Lily and James would be, knowing that their son was still alive.

Checking her timetable, Sky realized that she didn't have any classes to teach in the first period. This left her time to plan her first lesson.

Being back in Hogwarts triggered many memories for her, not all of them good. Everywhere she looked, there was something that reminded her of her own days at Hogwarts. How she'd been alone for so many years, then in sixth year, when everything had changed...

Thinking over it, she realised that Sirius was the reason why everything had started for her. He'd found her at the lake, convinced James to apologise, got her friends, and soon, changed her entire life.

It all seemed like a dream. It felt almost impossible to believe that so much had happened, and how much had changed.

On her way to her classroom, Sky saw Harry, Ron and Hermione again. "What are you lot doing out of class?" she called, unable to resist.

The three froze, then turned around. "Er... we were trying to find North Tower, Professor," Hermione said quietly.

Skylar nodded, a small smile forming. "Divination students?"

The three nodded.

"I never took the subject myself, so I'm afraid that I wouldn't know the way... but you might want to try asking one of the portraits, they'd be an excellent guide," Skylar offered.

Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks, Professor," Harry said.

At those words, Skylar's heart ached. She wished Harry could know who she was... Instead, she smiled. "You should get a move on, then, it wouldn't do to be late on the first day of class, now would it?"

The three thanked her again, and turned around to find a portrait. Skylar sighed. Knowing she would probably regret it later, she said, "Mr. Potter? If I could have a word with you later on, perhaps after your class with me?"

Harry looked surprised, yet he agreed.

"Meet me in my office then," Skylar said before nodding and walking away.

After they were out of earshot, Sky sighed again. She would be having class with the third years right before break, which meant that she'd have more than enough time to talk to him. But how would he take it?

When she reached her office, she took out her schedule planning what she would do. Obviously, there had to be different portions for different years. For sixth and seventh year, she could work on more advanced defensive magic, a little healing and disguise and concealment, including Occlumency and Legilimency.

For third, fourth and fifth year, she decided that she would focus mainly on Occlumency and Legilimency, but the basic parts, of course. And maybe she could also focus on spells like the Patronus, which would usually be taught to them quite later, since this year there were dementors at Hogwarts.

When the bell rang, she steadied herself and walked to her classroom. the last time she'd been here, it was on the other side, as a student. So this was bound to be a strange experience at first.

Students slowly poured into the classroom. Sky saw Nick enter, smile tentatively, then sit down next to his friend Cooper

"Alright, then," Skylar began, when all the students were seated. "This class is Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. In your case, it's more like Auror training. I'm Professor Adams."

"Now, this year, I'll be focusing on Occlumency and duelling. I know that you learn a bit of duelling in your normal lessons, but this will be different, since it will be in a simulated pressure situation. And I will try to make this so that the situation you're put in will represent something particular to each of you.

"Now, divide into pairs, and I want each of you to close your eyes and imagine a situation which would put you under pressure."

It felt strange giving orders and seeing them followed, especially by Nick. Though he shot her a saucy grin, he teamed up with Cooper and closed his eyes immediately.

Skylar walked around the class, close enough to the students that she could make out the gist of their thoughts. Then she called them forward, pair by pair, and had them duel for five minutes while she created the illusions of situations for them.

While they duelled, she watched carefully and helped them when they looked like they didn't know what to do, and giving suggestions when they finished.

When it was Nick's turn, he stepped forward with Cooper nervously. Sky moved towards them, first to Cooper, then to Nick.

Cooper's idea of a pressurised situation was having to duel while balancing on a narrow bridge under which was a river, its choppy waves rising higher every second. It seemed that he had hydrophobia. It would be simple to create this simulation for him.

When Skylar moved to Nick, she was startled by his thoughts. He was imagining having to fight while Kate was in danger, having to duel two others at once. Sky was nowhere to be seen in this situation. It seemed like she had been incapacitated, and Sirius was there too, but fighting off dementors.

Sky took a deep breath. She was not sure whether she would be able to do this. It would be easy for her physically, but emotionally, it was difficult.

Just then the bell rang, and she felt immensely relieved. "We'll continue next class. Until then, practice on nonverbal and defensive spells. Only knowing offensive ones will not help you in a real duel. Thank you." she said, watching them leave.

When they were gone, she heaved a sigh of relief. She had this period free as well, so she had time to get the disturbing image of Nick's situation out of her mind.

The next few hours passed in a blur. She only had a class with third years, and there were only a few of them, about fifteen to twenty, so she found it quite easy.

Finally, the period was over and the students filed out. Harry remained behind, looking unsure. Ron and Hermione had already left, after shooting curious glances at him.

"I'm sure you must be wondering why I wanted to talk to you, Harry," Skylar said.

He nodded. "Yeah, I didn't do anything wrong already, did I?"

She bit back a laugh. This was almost exactly the kind of thing that James would have said.

"No, no you didn't," she said, smiling in spite of herself. "Do you remember me... at all?" she asked seriously.

He shook his head. "Sorry, am I s'pposed to?"

"I'm not surprised that you don't. The last time I saw you, you were only a baby," Sky said ruefully.

Harry froze.

"I knew your parents very well in school.. They were some of my best friends," Skylar continued quietly.

"You... knew my parents?"

"Yes," Skylar said simply. "Your father and I were close friends right from when we were children. Your mother, on the other hand..." she trailed off, smiling to herself at the thought of how much she hated Lily before she'd gotten to know her. "Well, let's just say it took some time, but when we did finally get along, I trusted her more than nearly anyone else."

Harry took a deep breath. "I think I know who you are."

Skylar raised an eyebrow. "So you remember?"

Harry shook his head. "Er... no, Professor, I got a photo album of my parents when I was in first year. You're actually in a lot of the photos, come to think of it."

Skylar smiled. "Yeah, I was happy to help Hagrid out with that project. Usually he sends me a letter about some kind of wild animal."

Harry smiled, remembering the Care of Magical Creatures class he'd just come from. "I know what you mean. But I don't think you can find anyone more loyal than him, anywhere," he said resolutely.

Skylar shook her head, smiling. "I dunno... those friends of yours, Ron and Hermione? They're exactly how James and Lily were to me."

Harry grinned. "How would you know?"

"Trust me. I know a lot about people," she said, her eyes darkening slightly.

The two of them sat in silence for a while.

"Harry-"

"Professor Adams-" they both said at the same time.

Harry smiled. "You first, Professor."

Skylar smiled back. "Well, what I was going to say was... I'm not sure if anyone mentioned anything about it, but when you were born, your parents named me as your Godmother."

She left out the part about Sirius being his godfather. She would make sure he knew, after Sirius was truly safe and proved innocent. Sky was sure that he had some plan, which was why he'd broken out in the first place.

Harry looked stunned, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes, he said slowly, "Then why... I mean... The Dursleys..."

"I know. We- I wanted to take you in, but Professor Dumbledore insisted on you being taken to your aunt. And... there were a few more complications too."

"Like what?" Harry asked, interested.

Skylar sighed. "That's not something I could get into without taking over two weeks' worth of classes. Not that you'd mind that, if you're anything like James was."

Harry smirked slightly.

Sky looked at her watch, then at Harry. "I think you should go now. It's quite late, and I don't want you to miss your lunch."

Harry nodded. Getting up, he started to leave, then turned and asked, "Professor... uh, are Nick and Kate your children?"

Skylar smiled briefly. "Yes, they are."

Harry nodded, then turned again and left.

Sky shook her head, grinning at the thought of the dark haired boy with Lily's eyes.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kate made her way back from Care of Magical Creatures, the last lesson of the day, with Katie and Leanne. They had been doing hippogriffs, but Hagrid seemed to be upset about something. He hadn't let them go near the hippogriffs either, just told them and demonstrated how to handle them. And he'd seemed very relieved when the bell rang.

"What do you think was up with him?" Leanne asked.

Kate shrugged. "Well, it's his first day teaching. Maybe it's nerves."

Katie didn't say anything, lost in her thoughts.

"Katie? Are you there?" Leanne asked.

She started and looked around at Leanne. "Yeah, sorry... My mind wandered off."

"To Ni- someone?" Leanne asked, with a nervous glance at Kate. She wasn't sure how Kate would take that, and she didn't want to cause any trouble between Kate and Katie.

Katie turned slightly pink, but she shook her head.

They had reached the Common Room by now, and they sat down next to Fred and George, in front of the fire. Nick came in a few minutes later, with Alicia, and sat down across from them. They had a few hours of free time before they had to go for dinner.

"Did you have a lesson with Hagrid yet?" Fred asked.

Kate turned to him. "Yeah, why?"

"Uh, did he seem a bit... distracted?"

"Yeah, we wondered why. You don't think something went wrong, do you?"

Fred and George shrugged.

"Anything can happen, especially at Hogwarts."

"I wish Peeves was here," Kate said quietly, leaning on Fred's shoulder.

Most of them grinned and rolled their eyes. Kate had always had a soft spot for Peeves, especially after he helped her escape from Filch in her first year.

"Yeah, so do we. Hogwarts is boring without a couple of pranks, isn't it Nick?" George called out.

Nick looked up and smiled at his sister, who was now talking with the twins, Leanne and Katie.

"Yeah, I agree, but I doubt that even you'd enjoy it much if Peeves was able to enter our common room... We'd never have another peaceful moment." He grinned, thinking about it.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder about his dad, who according to his mother was safe. He'd gone to see her during break, and had seen Harry coming out of the classroom.

.

When he'd asked his mother, she'd just said that she had been talking to him about his parents. This had reminded him of his father, and he'd asked his mother if she'd heard anything about him.

Skylar had smiled slightly then, saying that she knew that he was safe, but nothing else.

"Nick?" Alicia said, patting his shoulder softly. "Are you there?"

Nick started. "Huh-what- oh, yeah." He smiled down at his girlfriend. She was wonderful, really. She played Quidditch and was actually very sweet.

"We didn't really get the chance to talk last night," she said quietly.

Nick nodded. "I know. What with the dementors, and all..."

Alicia shivered. "That was really scary. I wish we knew how to stop them."

Nick sat up. "Maybe we can learn. I'll ask my mother, or Professor Lupin about it. I think we do learn how to stop them as N.E.W.T level spells."

"Yeah?" Alicia said, smiling up at him. Nick couldn't resist, he just had to lean down and kiss her cheek.

She was too freaking cute.

Alicia blushed, then brought him in for a kiss.

Something heavy fell down. Nick had no idea what it was, but he didn't really care.

Kate, on the other hand, did. She stared at Katie with something akin to disbelief. Katie looked at her sadly.

Upstairs, Kate mouthed at Katie and Leanne. The three wordlessly got up and walked to the dorm. No one bothered to stop them, they did this quite often, just to talk.

Once in the dorm, the three girls sat down on their respective beds. Kate pulled out a bar of Honeydukes Finest and handed it over to Katie. "Talk."

Taking a large bite, Katie chewed for a moment, swallowed, then took a deep breath. "I like your brother."

Kate frowned. "You think he's cute."

Leanne shook her head. "No, it's not just that. She really, really, likes him."

Kate leaned back, thinking to herself. She loved her brother, and was insanely protective of him, despite the fact that he was older than her.

"Katie? Why do you like my brother?"

Katie blushed furiously. "He's nice, funny, smart, he makes me feel happy... obviously, he's good looking..."

Leanne nodded in agreement.

"But a lot of it has to do with how much he cares about you, Kate."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"He's always willing to protect you when it comes to anything: whether it's taking the fall for a prank or defending you from Slytherins."

Kate nodded, smiling to herself. She loved it when Nick looked after her. In a way, he took the place her father had not been there to fill.

"And there's so much more," Katie said, her eyes shining brightly.

Kate said nothing for a few moments. Finally, she opened her mouth. "I love you, Katie, you're my best friend. And after what you just said, I don't think I'd be okay with my brother being with anyone except for you, to be honest."

Katie smiled widely. "Really, Kate?"

Kate grinned back. "Definitely. I was worried that you were only into him for his looks."

"And what fine looks they are," Leanne said dreamily.

Two pillows hit her squarely on the stomach.

"Or that this was just another one of your fantasies that you grow out of," Kate continued, rolling her eyes at Leanne.

"But, please promise me something," she said, looking seriously at Katie.

"What?"

"That you'll not push him, or make him feel pressured in any way. Right now, he's with Alicia, right? Let him figure things out on his own. Please, don't make him feel guilty about anything."

Katie nodded solemnly and said, "Of course. I couldn't do that either. I would never feel right about it."

Downstairs, Lee and Angelina had joined the group and were chatting happily with the twins. Fred especially was throwing himself into the conversation with a lot of enthusiasm.

Just then, Kate, Leanne and Katie came back downstairs, Katie looking happy.

Kate looked at Fred, who was wearing a goofy look on his face. When he saw her looking, he carefully rearranged his features into one of casual nonchalance.

Kate snorted, amused. The three resumed their former positions in front of the fire.

"Hey, Fred. Do you want to play Exploding Snap?" Kate asked.

"Mm? What? No..." Fred said, not really paying attention to her, but staring after Angelina, who was going to get something from her dorm.

Kate felt a stab of annoyance. Just because Angelina was there, Fred was almost completely ignoring her.

After Angelina was no longer visible, Fred turned around to face Kate, a grin on his face. "Yeah, did you say something?"

Kate sighed. "Never mind. I'm going to get started on Transfiguration homework," she said irritably.

As she got up, Nick followed her. When they were out of earshot, he said, "Kate? Is everything okay?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I'm just annoyed that Fred doesn't even pay attention to me, just because Angelina is there."

"Oh, so you're jealous?" Nick asked, grinning.

"No way! Not in the way you mean, anyway. It just hurts when my supposed best friend completely ignores me for someone else," Kate said firmly.

Nick just smiled.

"Oh, I almost forgot the real reason I followed you," he said suddenly.

"What?"

He leaned towards her, making sure that no one was within hearing distance. "Dad is safe," he whispered.

Kate's breath caught. "Really? How do you know?" she whispered back urgently.

"I asked Mum. She said that she didn't know more, only that he was safe."

Kate exhaled. "Thank God," she said weakly.

Nick hugged her briefly before saying, "I know. For the first time in a long time, Mum looked optimistic..."

Kate nodded, not able to speak.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling that we will get him back," he said, then squeezed Kate's hand and left.

Kate hoped with all her heart that Nick was right.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Talks**

The next day, Kate woke up early, wanting to speak to her mother. After what Nick had told her the previous night, she _needed _to find out the whole story.

As she crept out of the common room she thought about everything that had happened the previous day. It had been a strange first day back. Not only did she have to endure the rumours surrounding her father, she also had to deal with the problems of her friends. Like Katie liking Nick and Fred ignoring her for Angelina. This last point still annoyed her. But she decided to worry about it later.

Five minutes later, she stood outside Skylar's office. She knocked tentatively. Her mother could be really ferocious when she was half asleep, something no doubt picked up from Great- Uncle Moody.

The door opened slowly and Kate walked in. Skylar, who had been reading, looked at her in surprise. "Kate? Is anything wrong?"

"Mum, tell me what you know about Dad. Nick told me that you said he's safe. Where is he?" she pleaded.

Sky got up and hugged her. "He's safe. That's all I know for now. Oh, and he's probably somewhere nearby."

"How do you know?"

"From this..." Skylar said, summoning the piece of parchment from underneath her pillow.

Kate smiled slowly as she looked at the paw print. When she looked at her mother, her smile turned mischievous.

"You slept with this under your pillow?" she laughed.

Sky raised an eyebrow. "No, I hid it there."

Kate laughed again. "Sure you did. Okay, bye Mum, see you later." she said, before Sky had a chance to respond.

Sky smiled at Kate's retreating figure, thinking about how Sirius would have said the same thing.

When Kate got back, Fred was sitting in the Common Room, dozing off in a chair. Kate went to him and shook his shoulder lightly. He gave a start and blinked up at her.

"Kate! I was waiting for you," he said sleepily. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Was it so important that it couldn't wait until breakfast?" she asked, grinning.

Fred rolled his eyes. "I need your advice, and I don't want to ask in front of the others."

"Why? Scared that it will ruin your reputation to be seen asking for help?"

"Are you going to listen or not?"

"Fine," she snorted. "This better be good."

"Okay, I'm thinking about going with someone to Hogsmeade. And-"

"Wait," Kate interrupted. "Fred, the date for our first Hogsmeade trip hasn't even been announced yet. Don't you think it's a bit too early to be worrying about this? Besides, if you want to ask someone out, just do it. No girl will be able to resist your charms." she laughed.

Fred frowned. "Really, you think so?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're fully awake yet. Go back to sleep. Talk to me at breakfast or break, okay?" she said, pushing him back towards his dorm.

"Thanks Kate," Fred said. He kissed her cheek lightly. Kate blinked, surprised. Clearly, he wasn't awake yet.

Fred smiled at her, then walked back to his dorm. Kate stood there for another five minutes, then smiled and sat down in the same chair he had just vacated.

Strangely enough, she didn't feel that annoyed about the whole Angelina thing anymore.

"Kate?" Nick said, shaking her gently. "Kate, wake up."

"Huh?"

"You fell asleep in the common room. Come on, we'd better go down. We have classes today, you know."

Kate got up and stretched. "Yeah, coming." She lowered her voice. "I saw Mum today. She told me about Dad."

Nick smiled at her. "Yeah, I figured you'd do that. Now hurry up."

Ten minutes later, they were in the Great Hall, sitting at the Gryffindor table. Kate sat across from Fred and George, who were laughing at something. Nick sat at his usual spot, between Kate and Alicia.

"What's the joke?" Nick asked.

"Oh, just about how Sirius Black probably killed thirteen people to play a prank on Professor Trelawney."

"That's ridiculous," Kate said.

Nick forced himself to laugh. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that Kate was looking at her plate.

"Kate?" George asked.

Kate looked up, smiling. "Yeah, that was very funny." She rolled her eyes.

"That's more like it," George grinned.

Kate smiled at him before shoveling food into her mouth to avoid talking. Nick frowned at her, then shook his head slightly. She understood what he was trying to say.

"I actually agree with Fred and George." Alicia laughed from Nick's other side.

Nick turned to face her.

"You agree with us?" Fred and George said in unison, before grinning at each other.

Alicia nodded. "Yes. Though you meant it as a joke, it was probably true."

The twins looked at her. "You're seriously saying that it was to play a trick on Trelawney?" George asked incredulously.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "No. What I meant was that he was probably mad, so the reason might have been something as stupid as that, or maybe there was no reason at all."

"You're wrong!" Kate said before she could stop herself.

The twins, Alicia, Katie, Leanne, Lee and Nick turned to look at her, their expressions ranging from curiosity to surprise to worry.

"What makes you say that?" Lee asked.

"I... Nothing, never mind. I'd better get to class." Kate said, getting up and grabbing her bag.

She ignored Nick's look of mingled exasperation and understanding and Fred's expression of concern as she almost ran out of the Great Hall.

Nick looked down at his food as soon as Kate had left the Hall.

"Nick?" Alicia said tentatively.

He looked up at her. "What happened to your sister? She was acting like she actually _knew _Black..." she trailed off.

It was at times like these that Nick wished that he could tell his friends the truth about his family.

He couldn't help it. "That's ridiculous." he snapped. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Alicia looked stunned. Dropping his fork onto his plate, he got up and left.

**As/N: We're SOOOO sorry for the late update. Both of us have been busy with school, so it's been really hard to find a time when we're both free. We'll try to continue this, but no guarantees as of now :-/**


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